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February 23, 2005

A Newsletter of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, Inc.

By: Thomas A. Briant, Executive Director

Tobacco Legislative
Battles Begin

The state legislative battles on tobacco issues have begun. As of March 1st, NATO's experienced legislative consultant staff is tracking and assisting its members respond to legislation on the following tobacco issues:

With most state legislatures in session, and given the number of bills already introduced on tobacco issues, 2005 could very well be the busiest legislative year ever for tobacco stores and NATO.

Anti-Tobacco Strategy Shift

here is a clear shift in the legislative strategy being pursued by the anti-tobacco advocates. While approximately the same number of states are seeking more revenue through unfair tax increases on cigarettes and tobacco products, a definite change in strategy is also evident. Last year, nine state legislatures debated smoking ban restrictions in bars, restaurants and other public places. This year, the number of states considering smoking bans has doubled to eighteen. Also, bills in six states would raise the legal age to purchase and use tobacco products. The emphasis on smoking bans and increasing the legal age are evidence of a change in how the anti-tobacco organizations are pursuing their agenda to prohibit the sale and use of all tobacco products

NATO Takes Action

On tobacco bills that would negatively impact tobacco stores, the NATO legislative consultant staff writes letters for retailers to sign and send to their legislators, drafts alert sheets for members to give to their customers so they will call their elected officials and, new this year, prepares special petitions for customers to sign.

When NATO retail members receive their letters, alert sheets and petitions, they should act quickly to sign and mail the letters, copy and hand out customer alert sheets and encourage customers to sign the petition forms. All of these measures can be effective in helping block tobacco-related bills. As an example, last year only 7 out of 19 states considering cigarette and tobacco tax increases actually passed the tax hikes into law.

However, the coordination and assistance from NATO consultants goes even further. NATO's staff helps retailers prepare to testify before legislative committees, writes legislators directly on behalf of the entire association to oppose tobacco legislation and drafts amendments to legislation. Minnesota NATO retail member Eileen Bream of Stogies on Grand says:

"NATO has been the lead retail organization in coordinating our testimony, meeting with legislators and getting an amendment passed to exempt tobacco stores from the statewide smoking ban bill."

NATO is a leader on retail tobacco issues because its four legislative consultants have a combined 62 years of experience on tobacco-related issues and use that expertise to help protect tobacco stores.

Attend the NATO Expo!

The 2005 NATO Expo is really two shows in one and every NATO member should plan to attend. This year, the Expo will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 29th to March 31st. Retail educational seminars will be conducted on selling premium cigars and merchandising through visual techniques. The highly informative NATO Annual Meeting and Legislative Panel will be held on Wednesday, March 30th with industry specialists discussing the current legislative threats to tobacco stores.

Following the NATO Annual Meeting, the Expo trade show floor will be open all day on Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st. The number of exhibitors has grown substantially again this year and 21 companies are offering exclusive show specials to NATO members only during the show. The retail savings on these exclusive show specials could more than pay for the cost of travel and hotel accommodations to attend the show. The NATO Expo is the place to be for tobacco retailers to gain valuable knowledge by attending the seminars and to purchase tobacco products and accessories at special show prices. To register, visit the Expo's website at www.natoexpo.com or call the NATO Expo office at 1-888-737-3976 to sign up.

NATO Unveils
Redesigned Website

NATO members are encouraged to visit the association's redesigned website with its easy to use navigation bar, up-to-date information on state and federal tobacco issues being monitored by NATO plus information about NATO's goals, membership benefits, staff consultants and association committees. The address for the website is www.natocentral.org.

Introducing New Consultants

NATO is pleased to announce that Tim McKinney has joined NATO as a Legislative Consultant and Toby Lillestrand has been retained as NATO's Membership Consultant. Tim was previously employed by Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company as a Senior Manager of Government Affairs and brings a wealth of tobacco legislative expertise to NATO. Toby served as a District Manager for Brown and Williamson in Wisconsin and will be focusing her time and retail background on building NATO's retail membership base.

Credit Card Service Recommended

As a reminder to association members, NATO is recommending that retailers consider processing their credit card, debit card and check transactions through Huntington Merchant Services, a First Data alliance. Special credit card processing fees have been negotiated to provide members one of the lowest payment processing costs available.

In addition to the credit card processing service, First Data offers an excellent gift card program with a specialized tracking system that replaces paper gift certificates. Offering gift cards is another means to enhance your business and sales. To learn more, contact First Data Representative Shawna Anderson at 317-838-8365. You will need a special code number to identify yourself as a NATO member. To obtain the code number, please call the NATO offices at 1-866-869-8888.

Product Promotions
Coming in April

In April, NATO retail members should watch for the next issue of the NATO Monitor Newsletter which will contain a flyer with new product and service promotions for NATO members. These promotions include special discounts, special pricing and other product incentives.

NATO 15560 Boulder Pointe Road, Minneapolis, MN 55347 1-866-869-8888
http://www.natocentral.org

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